User blog:PeabodySam/LEGO Universe: A Tribute
One last embrace... I've had three months to prepare for this day. Three months to prepare for writing this blog post. This fact does not change a thing, for even though I was rather impacted by the announcement in November... the true force of the blow did not hit me until last night at 10:30 pm, as I watched my computer screen... three Minifigures waved at me, each calling me to his attention, begging that I would select him to play for just another second of LEGO Universe... and I cannot close the window, knowing that once I do, I shall never see these three faces again. CaptainGreybeard, Venture League Buccaneer. DoctorRex, Paradox Space Marauder. DoctorEinstein, Assembly Inventor. My heart in my throat, my eyes fighting off tears, my hand hesitant and slow, I slowly raised my cursor to the red X at the top of the screen... and closed LEGO Universe for the last time. Today, the LEGO Universe servers are closed. With them, over nine days' worth of gameplay time with CaptainGreybeard will be erased in a matter of seconds. But they shall live on in my heart forever. All the fond memories of LEGO Universe shall never leave me. Before we say goodbye... After hearing positive things about LEGO Universe from alpha testers, especially jamesster, I signed up for beta testing as soon as the opportunity was available. In a matter of days, I received an email that would change my life for the next two years: a beta key. I anxiously awaited my first testing day of LEGO Universe, which was March 11, 2010... exactly one year before I joined this wiki. I sat in the Minifig creator for a while, wondering whether I should model my character after my Alpha Team character Frozeen, my Rock Raiders character Sam Throramebi, or my Pirates character Greybeard. The result of that decision would go on to become one of the lesser-known "famous" (at least, according to some other players) Minifigures of the LEGO Universe, especially thanks to my beta screenshot videos and my Administrator status on this wiki. There was a terrible bug that day in Avant Gardens. Any Life, Armor, or Imagination power-ups dropped by smashables or enemies would not be added to your stats. Thanks to this glitch, rebuilding Darkling Mechs into turrets was a chore and ascending the Assembly Monument took far longer than it ever should have. Since then, I have watched the game evolve and improve thanks to the input and contributions of its beta testers and even its players following release. LEGO Universe, I realized, was a game of infinite potential that could always shape itself to meet the satisfaction of its players. No greater example of this existed than Johnny Thunder, the Venture League Hero himself. A bit of backstory on myself... my interest in LEGO System was permanently revived when I saw some of the old Adventurers sets back in 2000. LEGO now had an Indiana Jones-esque adventurer exploring a lost world inhabited by dinosaurs... how cool was that? I owe a lot to Johnny Thunder. He became one of my personal favorite LEGO characters of all time. When Greybeard went to Nimbus Station for the first time and was told by Venture League Rep to seek out Johnny Thunder, I was excited. And then... well, this happened. I was appalled by these changes that LEGO Universe intended to make to the classic adventurer. But you know what? LEGO Universe developers listened to our yearning for the classic Johnny Thunder and, on May 23, 2010, released a patch that gave Johnny Thunder new textures to better resemble his classic self. And the fandom rejoiced. I was filled with such bliss and nostalgia upon seeing Johnny Thunder once again. LEGO Universe was a game of infinite potential, as I said. What probably hit me the hardest (until now) about LEGO Universe's closing was that all that infinite potential is now instantly gone. Ogel will never work for Paradox. Lord Garmadon will never be fought. The rest of the LEGO Minifigures Series 1 and 2 will never appear. Basil the Bat Lord and Ann Droid will never team up with Johnny Thunder to offer racing challenges... okay, that last one is purely a hopeful wish, but it could have come true! But now, it never will. Greybeard saw beta testing through, and was joined at times by ClassicLane, JThunder, DrRex, and DrEinstein. Under the new name "CapatinGreybeard" (because "Greybeard" was somehow already snagged by a Rank 1 Paradox Sorcerer), he joined the Founder's Release and became a Nexus Astronaut. Through a long and complicated story that could be best summed up as "If you try, you might fail, but if you never try, you never succeed", CaptainGreybeard acquired his own Nexus Force Rocket. He became a Venture League Buccaneer and went on to become one of the winners of the "Best Faction Screenshot Contest", winning a 7050 Alien Defender as a prize. He settled on various properties, including Dinosaur Ruins, LEGO Isle, Waterfall Cove, and Ogel Fortress. Along the way, he was joined once more by DoctorRex and DoctorEinstein, while over in the Storm Universe, Throramebi and EdwardXPlore were finally realized. After over nine days' worth of gameplay time, CaptainGreybeard acquired Level 40 on January 27, 2012. The very next day, he was promoted to Level 45 by a Mythran. He visited several Mythran parties and got lots of items from giveaways, but got even more items from his many adventures across the LEGO Universe. At the time of closing, this was CaptainGreybeard's complete item inventory (not counting one-time-use consumables): And of course, I can't go without giving a shout-out to all my LEGO Universe friends. PowerMiner, you are such a great friend, always willing to send a "Hi!" private message, helping me out in Forbidden Valley beta, and writing me such a heartwarming letter the day before LEGO Universe's closure. jamesster... well, you're jamesster, and that's enough said in itself, but... let's just say you are an awesome guy to hang out with. Yhnmko1, I'll be ready to help this wiki anytime, provided it does not involve too much coding. David27, I hope to see you in Dino Attack: At War's End once Than the Moa finally allows me to post it. Bricknave, I had a ton of fun hanging out with you and doing crazy things like raiding the Nexus Jawbox, and I have little doubt that you were in the winning "Best Faction Screenshot Contest" screenshot, so thanks! LEGO Universe's severs have closed forever. But does that mean that LEGO Universe is dead? No! LEGO Universe will continue to live on in our hearts. We shall cherish these memories always, of the days we went to another universe and helped the Minifigures in the battle against the forces of chaos and destruction. We can continue to build our own universe with LEGO Digital Designer or even (gasp!) the real, physical bricks, and shape our universe in any way we so pleased. I'm sure there is much more I can say. Knowing me, I'll post this blog post and immediately remember something I should have said, then I'll go back and edit it in. For now, this is all. Goodbye, LEGO Universe, and thanks for the memories. ClosedBetaInvite.png BetaCenter.png LUTribute05.JPG LUTribute01.JPG LUTribute02.JPG LUTribute03.JPG LUTribute04.JPG OneLastEmbrace.jpg BeforeWeSayGoodbye.jpg UntilWeMeetAgain.jpg Until we meet again...